Fragile
by Dani-san
Summary: Sakura has been missing from Konoha for close to a year and a half now. No one knows what happened to her and eventually most gave up looking for her, save a certain dark haired Uchiha. What happens when he finds her? SasuSaku CURRENTLY DISCONTINUED
1. Animalistic Instincts

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters.

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She shuddered in her desolate shelter, wild emerald green eyes staring forth as franctically her pupils searched for those who would wish to do her harm; animalistic thoughts ran through her head as she thought only of survival, pale arms wrapping about her legs as she drew her knees up to her chest. Strands of hair fell infront of her wild eyes, the once beautiful healthy locks knotted, strands matted to her forehead and back of her neck, yet no move was made to remove the obstacle that blocked her view. The child-like form took in harsh, rapid breaths as she trembled with fear, fingernails digging into her own skin as her eyes closed, her teeth biting sharply the flesh on her kneecaps.

It was how she knew she was still alive, still feeling, through pain.

Nothing else told her. All her emotions were tied to that small sensation of pain that pulsed through her legs and kneecaps at the abuse, and the girl let a sigh of mock relief leave her lips. Relief was something she could never know again, or at least she didn't think she could ever know it again. How could she? Too much fear, too many emotions, too much pain and deafeat and betrayal to know relief, to know the feeling of being loved and wanted and cared about. It was all too much for her to handle.

Why did it have to happen to her? She had been fragile before, but now she was nothing but a glass ball; if someone were to drop her, she'd shatter into a million pieces. Composure was an unknown word to her now. She knew only fear, pain, betrayal, hate, defeat. Nothing more. All her thoughts were focused now on one thing, and one thing only: survival. Her animalistic instincts had kicked in when she'd fled from her captors, fled from their taunts and their abuse, their way of using her, tossing her to the side, then using her again. It had all become too much, and out of fear she had left herself and fallen back on her instincts only. Nothing else mattered to her but surviving. She was wrenched from her thoughts as the sound of a door opening warned her of new arrivals and she curled herself tighter, trying to hide from whoever had come to harm her. Footsteps drew closer, and emerald green eyes lifted to see his face. He seemed surprised to see her here, and she noticed the worry that settled in his eyes; he could act as worried about her as he wanted, but she knew better than to trust the false hope he was trying to feed her.

Suddenly he reached forward to touch her, and the girl drew back in fear, a hiss leaving her throat, warning him to stay back, to keep his hands to himself. That only seemed to worry him more; he said something, something that she heard but couldn't decipher in her mind. And then he was reaching for her again, though slower than before. Still, hisses of warning left her lips as she glared up at his face, baring her teeth angrily as if that would frighten him away. Without any hesitation he reached forward and snatched her around the waist.

Her fist slammed against the side of his head, though he didn't let her go. Violently she began to thrash, using any means of fighting as she could: biting, clawing, kicking, punching, tearing his hair from the roots. Anything to force him to release her. Another blow to the head and his grip loosened enough that she pulled free, pressing herself against the wall and sliding down it, holding her head in her hands, tearing at her own hair to reassure herself that she was still alive, still existed in this world.

Again he spoke, and this time she was able to understand what he had said to her. But she didn't care; fear and the thought of surviving filled her as she opened her eyes to see him standing nearby, and as he made another attempt to touch her she shied away and growled in warning, trembling with fear as he disregarded the warning and touched her hair, running his fingers through the matted locks. Again he spoke, the same phrase as before.

"Sakura, what happened to you?"

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Sorry for how short this chapter is. It's more an "Introduce the basic plot" chapter. Dx Anyways, critique is appreciated.


	2. Healing

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters.

Sorry that this chapter is, like, awful. Dx

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When Sasuke had first found the pink haired girl he had been surprised; nearly everyone had said that, since no one had found in her a year and a half, no one would. But then he'd entered the supposedly abandoned compound and found her huddled in the corner, staring at him with a look that seemed almost fearful. Immediately he had reached forward to touch her, to make sure she was really there and it wasn't just some illusion, but Sakura had reacted violently, fearfully, and so he had drew back to examine her.

The second time he'd been quicker and had grabbed her around the waist, not expecting for her to thrash the way she had. Sasuke had ignored the of feeling of her nails and teeth digging into his flesh, kicking him sharply in the legs, tearing his silky black locks from their roots; yet he'd faltered as her fist slammed into the side of his face for a second time, losing his grip, watching her move away as quicker as she could. Worry had spread over his face as Sasuke stared at her, watching her grab hold of her hair and begin to tear some of the strawberry strands from her scalp, and the young Uchiha had moved forward, ignoring the growls that escaped his friend and once teammate's lips, and knelt down beside the cowering Sakura, running his finger through her once soft, shiny hair.

He'd vowed right then and there that whoever had done this to her would die the most painful way possible.

Gently Sasuke had slipped his hands around her waist once more, and again Sakura had reacted violently though it wasn't as bad as the first time, almost as if she were giving up on escaping his grasp. He endured her blows to his head, arms, stomach, and legs, simply holding her until finally she stopped; weakly the vulnerable and tired Sakura had closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest, trembling both in fear and cold. She had twisted as he'd lightly lifted her off the ground but hadn't truly tried to escape his grasp, which worried him even more than her being afraid of him in the first place had.

The Sakura he knew wouldn't simply give up after fighting for only a minute or so.

Never the less, Sasuke had left the compound and taken the pink haired girl to the hospital; however, the instant he had set her down and one of the nurses reached for her she'd screeched violently, attempting to bite the hand that came toward her. Instantly the nurse had pulled back, her eyes straying up toward the young Uchiha's face, which had been, as usual, emotionless. Yet his eyes had been anything but emotionless. Sakura wouldn't let anyone come within three feet of her body with the exception of Sasuke, and even he had been restricted.

Eventually she had to be put to sleep before anyone was even allowed to touch her, and Sasuke had been the one to do so.

----

**Three Days Later**

Gently Sakura stirred from her sleep, shifting underneath the starch white blankets as emerald green eyes opened then closed as they were met with the violent rays of the sun. A grunt of discomfort left her throat as she rolled over and again opened her eyes, the pupils locking on the vases of flowers on the tablestand next to her hospital bed, blinking as she stared at them for a moment before it finally clicked what type of flowers they were.

Sakura blossoms.

However it meant nothing to her. She sat up in the bed, peering down at the flowers before the girl lightly reached forward and pulled one from a vase, the water at the end dribbling onto the sheets and the hand that sat in her lap as she lifted the flower to her nose. Suddenly the door was opened and she dropped the flower, her head snapping toward the sound as the hand that had held the blossom reached over and picked up a vase, sending it flying toward the open door in an attempt to get the nurse to leave her alone. It shattered to the side of the door, her aim slightly off, and the nurse started violently and peered down at the broken glass for a moment before her gaze lifted to Sakura.

Cold eyes stared back at her and a low growl emitted from her throat as the pink haired girl half dared her to come closer, half told her to stay the hell away from her.

Far more warily than before the nurse approached again, and Sakura screeched as she picked up another vase and threw it at the nurse, watching as she jumped to the side and the vase shattered in the hallway outside the door. Yet she continued to approach the girl even after all her warnings and a sudden whimper replaced the low growls of warning from before as Sakura lifted the blankets up and disappear beneath them, drawing the starch white material close to her body and trembling with fear. Her plan of "scare the nurse away so she doesn't hurt me" had failed, and so instead she would hide from the other.

Yet that failed too.

Reaching underneath the blankets the nurse took a firm but gentle hold on Sakura's left arm, pulling it out from under the material even though she was twisting and thrashing. Suddenly a small tinge of pain centered at her inner elbow and she tensed up but grew still as well, remembering her last encounter. Sakura had thrashed so violently the last time she was given a shot that the needle had broken off inside her flesh and they had had to remove it, which hurt far more than the shot itself. The needle was pulled out of her flesh and the nurse gently wrapped the wound in a bandage, speaking softly so that she wouldn't fighten the vulnerable Sakura even more than she already was. "There we go. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Sakura grunted in reply, pulling her arms underneath the blankets as quickly as possible and cradling it next to her chest; she never spoke real words. Some people wondered if she was physically unable to speak now or if she simply didn't want to. There was even the idea that she'd forgotten how to speak and that was why she only replied with animal-like sounds.

Even after the door was closed, she remained underneath the blankets until the sound of footsteps faded completely, signaling that the nurse was far enough away from her now. Timidly the strawberry head poked out from beneath the blankets, strands of hair shielding her face and eyes from view as slowly Sakura crawled out from her shelter, sitting up and peering curiously at the door for a moment before her eyes strayed down to the pile of shattered glass and flowers at the side of the door; soon someone would be coming to clean that mess up.

At the thought Sakura began to tremble.

Silently she stood, bare feet meeting the floor which to her seemed to be freezing. She could walk around as much as she wanted. The windows were sealed tight and the door was always closed, though never locked, with nurses all over the place. Her white hospital dress ruffled as she made her way slowly toward the shards, standing over them for a moment before Sakura knelt down and began to pick through the glass with her fingers slowly, timidly. Pulling one of the Sakura blossoms from the pile she shook it lightly, watching the remaining glass pieces fall back into place. And so she continued the process until every blossom had been picked from the pile of glass shards, pale hands gathering the flowers as she stood and returned to her bed, putting the rescued blossoms into a different vase.

She had been right. Someone did come and clean up the mess, a young Genin it seemed, and while he worked she watched him from her place on the bed, making sure he wasn't going to try to come near her and hurt her.

Only after he had left did her tense body relax, and Sakura laid down on the starch white hospital bed, nuzzling into the warm sheets as she pulled the blankets over her head. One hand rose and grabbed hold of some of her hair, twisting it around her fingers gently before the pink haired kunoichi took in a deep breath and rolled onto her side, staring out the window before she felt her eyes droop with exhaustion.

----

"What do you mean we can't see her? Like hell we can't see her! We're her friends, damnit!" The blonde's voice rang out sharply as he declined entrance to see his friend and former teammate; did these people not understand that he hadn't seen her in a year and a half and needed to now? The nurse merely shook her head, replying in a firm calm voice: "I'm sorry, but Sakura needs her rest. She won't let anyone into her room except for Mister Uchiha, and even he she only lets so close. When she's better you may see her." Before Naruto could retort a certain Nara grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "Stop being troublesome, Naruto. It's annoying," Shikamaru snapped irritably, letting go of the thrashing blonde.

Naruto growled but nodded slightly, glancing back with a violent glare at the nurse before he began to follow after Shikamaru, who was walking back toward the group of people at the entrance of the hospital: Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and Ino. The others had been unable to come due to missions or other emergencies. "Well? Any luck?" the Yamanka inquired, placing her hands on her hips as she stared at Naruto and Shikamaru.

"No. They said that she won't even let anyone into her room except Sasuke," the blonde replied somewhat bitterly. Of course, _he'd_ be the one Sakura would let near her.

"This is no time for your petty jealousy, Naruto." The blonde glanced at Shino with a glare but couldn't tell if the other was glaring back or smirking in his eyes because of his sunglasses. "Sakura-chan will be okay, won't she Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked quietly, blushing slightly as everyone turned to look at her. Naruto was quiet for a moment before he nodded, casting her a reassuring smile. "Of course, Hinata! Sakura's a fighter; she'll get through this no matter what!" _I wish I was as confident as I sound..._

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I hope you all enjoyed my second chapter! Review please!


	3. Wounded Still

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters.

Sorry this took so long. Dx I got lazy and my brain died. Plus I wanted to make it longer. Oh, and for all of you wanting to know Sasuke and Sakura are eighteen/nineteen years old.

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How could this have happened to her? How could he have let this happen to her? Sasuke stared down at the ground as he walked silently through Konoha, his hands shoved into his pockets. She had trusted him, and he'd let her down more than once. At the thought he suddenly felt as if he were going to be sick but forced the feeling away as quickly as possible, onyx eyes lifting to examine his surroundings quickly.

"Oi! Sasuke!"

The raven turned toward the voice, cold onyx eyes staring at the blonde as he sprinted up to him, placing his hands on his knees as he panted slightly before glaring up at Sasuke. "Where were you earlier, you ass? I know for sure you didn't have a mission, but you weren't at the hospital! Where were you? Had something more important to do than see how Sakura's doing?" Naruto didn't catch the flash of anger that appeared in the other's eyes and instead kept going on about the fact that Sasuke hadn't been to see Sakura yet. "Well Sasuke? What's your excuse? I knew you didn't care about anything, but I didn't know you were _that_ extr-" He was cut off as a kunai sailed right by his ear, staring wide eyed at the dark haired Uchiha as he finally noticed the look of pure hatred he was receiving.

"If you _ever_ say I don't care about anything, especially Sakura, I'll kill you, Naruto." Sasuke continued to glare at the blonde until the other nodded his head slowly, his wide eyes hardening as he returned the look. "Then what's your excuse, Sasuke?"

"..."

"Tell me now, damnit!"

"Do you want the truth?"

Naruto glance at the other in surprise, blinking at him as he watched Sasuke quirk an eyebrow. "What?" he asked somewhat stupidly, trying to process what his former teammate had said. "I said, do you want the truth?"

Of course he wanted the truth! Who wouldn't? However, the blonde found it odd that the other had asked him if he wanted the truth rather than just saying it; was it something bad? Naruto blinked as he stared at the Uchiha for a moment before nodding slowly, cautiously, blue eyes transfized on his former teammate's face. Onyx eyes stared back at him calmly before Sasuke sighed slightly, averting his eyes so he wouldn't have to look right at Naruto. "I feel guilty, seeing her like that. I feel like I could have done something, and because I didn't _she's_ the one who has to suffer."

The kyuubi stared at the raven for a moment, surprised by Sasuke's feelings; what had happened in the last several months that Sakura was gone? The Uchiha had greatly disliked Sakura because, to him, she had been annoying with her constant fangirlism. But now he seemed to be returning her feelings so long ago.

"Sasuke I-"

He stopped as onyx eyes met his own once more before Sasuke turned and began to walk away. Naruto shook his head, starting to jog after the other before he called out: "Sasuke! Where are you going?"

The raven halted for a moment, his hands in his pockets, and replied without glancing back at his friend.

"To see Sakura."

-----

Groans left her lips as Sakura tossed and turned on the hospital bed, her hair matted to her forehead and cheeks from the sweat that was lingering there. Pale hands clenched the sheets tightly, her eyes sealed shut as she whimpered weakly, thrashing her head back and forth violently.

_"I'm not going to tell you anything. I won't betray my friends like that!" she growled, glaring up at her captures defiantly. It had only been a week since she'd first been abducted, but Sakura still refused to give out any information on any of her friends. She winced slightly at the cold laugh that she was replied with, yet continued to glare._

_"Oh, you'll tell us. Until then, we have need for a good medic..."_

Sakura yelped as she woke from her nightmare, thrashing violently, knocking some of the vases off the stand; suddenly she felt arms slip around her shoulders securely yet gently, and she ceased to thrash, noticing that the touch was familar. Blinking slightly, the pink haired girl glanced over her shoulder, emerald green eyes meeting onyx as she calmed down slightly, relaxing. A nurse sprinted into the room, glancing from the broken glass to Sakura to Sasuke: "Thank goodness you were here with her, Mister Uchiha," the nurse breathed, proceeding to clean the mess up. "Yeah," the dark haired boy murmured in reply.

Once the nurse was gone Sasuke let go of the slightly trembling Sakura, letting her rest her head against the pillow once more as she peered up at him with an almost curious nature. She tilted her head to the side, watching him for a moment before her eyes trailed to the damp spot on the floor; a sudden cry left her lips as she realized that the Sakura blossoms had been thrown away as well, thrashing violently once more.

However, as she felt a smooth hand touch her pale cheek gently the pink haired girl halted her movements, staring up at the dark haired boy in surprise.

She was surprised at how gentle he was when he touched her; even when he was attempting to keep her from flailing and thrashing he was gentle, something she was still trying to get used to. The nurses weren't even as gentle with her as Sasuke was. Sakura sighed as she settled back into the hospital bed, staring passed Sasuke's ears toward the ceiling before her gaze focused on his face once more; the look there told him instantly that she had forgotten he was even there for a moment, until she had looked at him again. The Haruno often did that now, forgetting things easily. Sasuke stared back for a moment before sighing slightly, turning and beginning to walk toward the door; however, he stopped when he suddenly felt her hand grip his wrist tightly.

Glancing back at Sakura, the Uchiha watched her shake her head back and forth violently, staring up at him when she was finished with pleading eyes. Right now, Sasuke was the only one she trusted, the only one she would let close enough to touch her. He watched her for a moment with an eyebrow quirked before a small smile played on his lips as the raven nodded at her request.

"Alright Sakura. I'll stay."

-----

**Two Weeks Later**

Sakura was making great progress; now she would let anyone come near her, though only the nurses, doctors, and Sasuke were allowed to actually _touch_ the Haruno. However, if anyone tried to touch her throat, chest, or hip area she would thrash violently, usually ending up punching whoever it was in the face at least once before she was calmed. Her speech had improved as well; it wasn't as great as it had been before, for she still only spoke one or two word sentences, but at least she was speaking.

Now Sakura was even beginning to talk about what happened, at least just a little bit.

Almost all of Sakura's old friends were there to see her: Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. Some nurses and a specialist were also in the room, while Sakura sat on the bed staring around her as if confused as to why so many people were here. She was afraid of so many people, though the Uchiha's familar face comforted her somewhat; he wouldn't let anyone hurt her, would he?

The one who frightened her most was the specialist sitting there in a chair next to her bed, scribbling things down on her clipboard as she watched Sakura's reaction to people.

Emerald green eyes flashed fearfully as the woman stared at her for a moment before smiling warmly, which seemed to comfort the pink haired girl somewhat. Readying her pen, the specialist smiled again before beginning to speak in a soft gentle tone so as not to frighten Sakura too much: "Sakura? How are you today?"

She was quiet for a moment before opening her mouth to reply slightly, averting her gaze toward the outside world in order to keep herself calm; too many people.

"Fine."

"Have you slept well recently?"

"Yes."

"Eaten well?"

"... No."

"I see. That's normal for someone in your condition, Sakura."

"..."

"Can you tell us a little bit about what happened?"

"..."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Sakura."

"Dreams."

"Dreams?"

"Yes."

"And what were these dreams about?"

"Bad things."

"Can you describe them to us?"

"..."

"It's alright Sakura. I have a question; can you remember anyone standing here?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"..."

"Sakura?"

"Him."

"Do you remember his name?"

"No."

"Try to remember his name."

"..."

"Can you?"

"N-No..."

"It's alright, Sakura. Calm down. It's fine."

"Not f-fine..."

"Sakura?"

"No!"

"Sakura!"

"No! No, no, no!"

The pink haired girl began to thrash violently before lifting up the blanket that had been laying in her lap and burying her face in it, trembling with fear; she couldn't remember his name. She could remember him, but couldn't remember his name at all. And that caused her pain. Sakura peered up just in time to see the blonde haired boy that had been standing near the raven haired boy coming toward her, and a low growl of warning emitted from her throat as he approached her. The look in her eyes appeared to be killer, and Naruto stopped and stared at her for a moment before taking a step backward to avoid his throat being ripped out. Ino was staring wide-eyed at her friend and rival, clinging slightly to Shikamaru, who didn't seem to mind; Lee seemed shocked at the killer intent in Sakura's eyes, while Kiba and Shino merely quirked an eyebrow and kept their distance. Hinata's hands were pressed together as she stared wide-eyed at the pink haired girl; Sasuke seemed to be the only one who wasn't surprised by her behavior toward Naruto.

Without any hesitation the Uchiha stepped forward and caught Sakura's wrist as she thrashed violently; instantly she relaxed at the gentle touch, instinctively leaning into the raven, taking in his familar scent before she sighed and smiled somewhat.

It didn't matter to her that she couldn't remember his name; she'd forgotten about that as well already.

One of the nurses stepped toward the shocked group, gesturing with her hands that they should leave. "Sakura's tired and needs her rest. You can visit her again tomorrow."

Naruto scowled but followed after the group, glancing over his shoulder once to see that Sasuke hadn't moved at all, and the pink haired girl was still clinging to him as if he was her lifeline. The kyuubi scowled, huffing slightly as she turned back around and came face-to-face with a certain Hyuuga. She blushed deeply, her gaze averting to the ground as she smiled slightly; the blonde inclined his head. "A-Are you going to be alright, Naruto-kun? With Sakura and everything..." she murmured, keeping her gaze on the ground as she pressed her fingers together slightly.

"Yeah, I guess. But I wish she'd let more than just Sasuke come near her."

"M-Maybe she's just a-afraid..."

"I know, Hinata."

"Oh..."

"Hey? Do you want to go get some ramen with me or something? All this drama and tension is making me hungry."

"R-Really? Sure, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto smiled at the Hyuuga girl, who in turn smiled back. She seemed happy, in a somewhat solemn way; the kyuubi laughed half-heartedly. "Well, c'mon then Hinata!"

"Coming, Naruto-kun!"

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Aw! NaruHina and ShikaIno! Just a little bit of other pairings added in there. Next chapter coming hoepfully soon. 


	4. Unkept Promises

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, though I wish I did.

Woah. It took forever for me to update, huh? Sorry! I tried to make this chapter long and interesting, with some other characters thrown in to add to the story effect. Yeah. Anyways, read and enjoy.

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A new day, a new time with which to sit boredly in the Yamanaka Flower Shop and gaze out through the window waiting for customers to sell the trademark beautiful flower arrangements to. Ino sighed as she gently rest her chin against her palm, elbow propped up on the counter top as she stood in her somewhat soiled apron and waited; she nearly dozed off several times before starting awake once more, only to return to her solemn thoughts. How long had it been since she'd been insulted by the Haruno?

Too long.

A small sigh escaped pale lips as Ino stood straight once more and removed the apron, dropping it to the side and exiting the shop after changing the sign from 'open' to 'closed'. She deserved a break. As the Yamanaka walked she thought silently about her pink haired friend; as strange as it was, Ino missed being called 'Pig' all the time, just as she missed calling Sakura 'Forehead'.

Well, Ino realized she could call her that but it wasn't exactly appropiate, now was it? Ino sighed as she walked, glancing toward the hospital before stepping toward the double doors.

_I'll just go and see her. It'll get my mind off my boredom and I haven't seen Sakura in a few days anyways. It will be nice to see her again, even if she won't talk much at all to me._

-----

Emerald green eyes peered up as the blonde entered the room, staring silently at her before a small smile crossed her lips as she murmured the name that came instantly to mind: "Ino." She was getting better; she could remember the names of her former friends when they told her, and now Sakura could easily pick out each out of the group when a name was called. That was actually one of her exercises. The Yamanaka forced a smile at the site of the pink haired girl sitting silently in her bed with the blankets drawn up around her. "Hey Sakura. Are you doing alright? I came to check up on you," Ino stated slowly, wanting to make sure she understood as sometimes Sakura became confused as to what she was being told.

She nodded at the comment, turning away to stare out the window once more.

"Sasuke?"

"He's not here right now, Sakura. But he'll probably come by soon."

"Alright."

Ino couldn't help but feel pity for her friend, noticing how dependant she was on the dark haired boy now; ever since he'd proved that he wasn't going to hurt her in any way, she had never wanted him to leave her side as if he was the her lifeline now. _Poor Sakura._

"Well, I should probably get going. Sakura, I hope you get better soon."

With that the blonde turned and walked out the door with Sakura staring after her for a moment before her gaze once more turned toward the window; however, if the pink haired girl had been more observant of her friend, she might have noticed Ino lift her arm to wipe away the tears that had fallen there.

-----

The wind lifted into a sudden roar, wiping the dark locks of hair around a pale face without mercy as, with a grunt, a kunai was thrown with great might toward a nearby tree where other nicks circled a center spot - the place where he was aiming for. A bired shrieked as it lifted into the air, startled, and disappeared on the horizon. The kunai had not only missed the mark but also the entire tree. Sasuke growled.

His aim wasn't getting better. It was getting worse.

Silently the Uchiha retrieved his failed kunai, returning it before onyx black eyes lifted to peer up into the gray colored sky with a solemn look. Why couldn't he hit his mark all of a sudden? Everytime he tried to train now his thoughts drifted to Sakura, and then Sasuke found that his aim was off and usually missing by more than a few centimeters or inches; what the hell was wrong with him?

Sighing, the dark haired ninja turned and, shoving his hands into his pockets, began to walk silently through the forest back toward Konoha. Why was Sakura affecting him so much? She seemed to do that alot now, ever since she'd disappeared for so long after all. Taking another pause to stare up at the sky once more Sasuke scowled, noting that it looked like it was going to rain soon.

_Great. Now I'm going to get rained on. Just what I need._

Simply scowling at the thought, Sasuke began to walk back toward Konoha once more when a sudden snap in the forest made him pause and glance back, glaring into the bushes; an abrupt sweep of chakra passed over him, indicating that the other was no longer hiding their presense by masking their chakra. "Whose out there? Stop being a coward and show yourself." His voice was cold; he didn't have time for this. After a moment the chakra died away again, and in the distance a bird called as the Uchiha scowled again and turned, walking back toward Konoha.

He was so worried about getting back before the rain started that he didn't notice a pair of red eyes watching him walk away, before they disappeared in the shrubbery once more.

-----

"C'mon Shikamaru! Sakura-chan's going to be asked questions again, so we have to be there!"

"Too troublesome."

"But Ino'll be there! C'mon!"

The Nara sighed as the Uzumaki continued to practically beg for him to come and visit the pink haired girl, blocking his out as Naruto asked repeatedly while Shikamaru merely stared up at the gray clouds.

_How troublesome. Sakura's not even one of my close friends. Gah. Will you shut up already Naruto? You're making my brain implode._

"Fine, Naruto, I'll go and see Sakura with you if you'll just be quiet."

The Uzumaki grinned before he replied with a: "Yeah! Now c'mon, Shikamaru, before we're late!"

-----

The heiress to the Hyuuga clan glanced about; almost everyone who had been here before was here now. Shikamaru, Naruto, Lee, Ino, Chouji, and Kiba, at least. Where was Sasuke? Hinata glanced about before suddenly catching Naruto's eye and blushing, turning away to look at Sakura once more. The specialist was here again, and their meeting was similar to before except that when the woman with the clipboard asked Sakura what had happened, she was more willing to reply. It was as if she felt safer now.

"Bad things. Bad, bad things."

"Can you tell us who did this to you, Sakura?"

"No."

"They can't hurt you, so it's safe to tell us."

The pink haired girl hesitated, glancing around the room forthe dark haired boy so that he could save her from the questions; they frightened her. Sakura seemed to panic upon noticing that he wasn't here, that Sasuke was no where near her and couldn't protect her from the endless questions. However, just as her panic turned into blind fear the door creaked open slightly; all eyes turned toward the Uchiha but he regarded the looks with a cool stare back at the group. From the look on Sakura's face, she was relieved that he was here.

"Sakura?"

"Hai?"

"Can you tell us who did this to you?"

Once more she hesitated and emerald green eyes flicked instantly to Sasuke, asking him to save her from the questions before noticing the look he gave her. It was a cross between eager and anxious and worried; the look told her that she was safe, that he wouldn't let them hurt her.

Yet still she was hesitant.

"A-"

Another pause, another glance toward Sasuke before she continued.

"Akatsuki..."

A sudden snarl leapt from the Uchiha's voice upon hearing the word, and with a killer look in his eyes he turned violently on his heel and moved toward the door. _One more reason to kill Itachi, all of them._ Sakura leapt from her bed and sprinted after Sasuke, jumping infront of him and holding her hands out to keep him from going; there were tears streaming down her face as, with a shaky voice, she cried out: "No Sasuke! You can't go! I won't let you! I won't!" The tears increased into a pitiful sob as the Haruno threw herself at the Uchiha, wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his chest.

Surprised, he merely stood there for a moment until slowly, ever so slowly, Sasuke wrapped her arms around her as well and crying died down until it was almost inaudible.

"Fine, Sakura. I won't go after them."

Relief swept over her as Sakura relaxed instantly, peering up with joyous eyes at the dark haired boy before her eyes closed and a smile crossed her lips. "Thank you, Sasuke..."

If only the pink haired girl could read minds, then she might have heard him think silently:

_Today._

* * *

I hope you enjoyed; I'd love to hear what you think, as well as ideas for this story. Keep reviewing!


	5. A Rose Figurine

-sweatdrops- Sorry for the long time to update. o.o' My brain died off for a while.

Anyways, here's chapter five! As requested, it's no longer centered. Also, someone asked for the first part on this chapter, so I added it in for the fun of it. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

A very giddy Sakura ran down the hallways of the hospital with several nurses trailing after her, shouting for her to come back but she wasn't listening. Turning a corner, the girl couldn't help but stick her foot out and laugh aloud as one of the nurses tripped over her leg, flying forward; she could leave her room now, as well as speak in complete sentences. Her memory seemed to be returning as well.

The nurse glared for a moment before she, as well as her workmates, began to laugh with the pink haired kunoichi.

"Sakura-chan, you should go back to your room. Ino's coming to see you."

"Ino-chan? Wonderful!"

Before anyone could say anything else, Haruno Sakura was speeding down the corridor toward her room, pushing the door open to see a very excited looking Yamanaka standing there. Upon seeing her friend, Ino rushed forward and pulled her into a hop, hopping up and down excitedly. "Guess what, Sakura?! Shikamaru asked me on a date! Isn't that great?"

"That's great, Ino!"

The look of happiness on Ino's face was enough to lift Sakura's spirits even higher as she was released and the blonde began chatting excitedly.

"And, I've decided that you can have Sasuke, Forehead!"

Suddenly a completely horrified look crossed Ino's pretty features as she slapped her hand over her mouth and turned away from the pink haired girl, hunching her shoulders slightly; beginning to shiver rapidly, Ino closed her eyes. _Oh god, oh god. What have I done? I called he_-

The thoughts were interrupted by a loud, angry, Sakura-like:"**Pig!**"

A very surprised Yamanaka Ino turned to see a very angry Haruno Sakura glaring violently at her, her fists clenched before she suddenly seemed to realize what she was doing and blinked a few times. "Gomensai Ino-chan!" the pink haired girl apologized quickly, staring at the blinking Ino as the blonde slowly shook her head. "I-It's alright, Sakura. No worries!"

_So she does remember._

The Yamanaka licked her dry lips quickly, looking away from Sakura, before smiling brightly and saying in a happy tone: "I should probably go now, Sakura. Good luck later today!" With that, the girl moved passed Sakura and walked out of the room into the hallway, panting somewhat as she thought about what had happened. So Sakura could remember their old rivalry, huh? Mixed feelings of relief and anger welled up in her chest, but the girl brushed the thoughts away to think ahead; her date with Nara Shikamaru.

* * *

In a somewhat good mood, the pink haired girl trotted around her bed in a joyful way, her emerald green eyes never leaving the clock that was positioned across from where her bed sat.

Sasuke had said he would be there at 3:00.

It was currently 2:55.

Her hair flew around her as Sakura twirled, giggling as she tripped and landed on her knees next to the bed, using it to help her rise to her feet. Her condition had gotten good enough that the girl was now allowed to leave the hospital, as long as she was accompanied by someone who would take care of her. Instantly the Haruno had wanted for Uchiha Sasuke to be the one to come with her, and he had agreed to it.

Her good mood dampened slightly as the time changed from 3:00 to 3:01.

Where was he?

Had he forgotten?

However, all of those thoughts were dismissed as the pale dark haired Uchiha pushed the door open and stepped into the room, only to be attacked by a very excited pink haired girl. "Sasuke-kun! I thought you'd forgotten, but you didn't! I don't know why I doubted you!" Her eyes were closed, a wonderful smile playing on her features. It was a good thing that her eyes were closed too, for Sasuke suddenly felt heat rise up in his cheeks and knew that he was blushing, which was rare in the pale boy. And the fact that Sakura was extremely close to him didn't help...

"Sakura? We should probably get going soon, if you want to spend the entire day that is."

"Huh? Oh! Right!" she cooed as she pulled away from the beginning-to-sweat boy and moving into the small bathroom that came with the hospital room; a few minutes later Sakura returned, only this time instead of the loose hospital dress she wore a light pink tanktop and a pair of black capris, a pair of tan sandals on her feet. "Well, Sasuke-kun? Are we going?"

The Uchiha shook his head quickly, clearing himself out of the trance seeing Sakura like that had caused before he turned away to conceal his blush.

"Er, yeah. C'mon."

The girl giggled as she followed after Sasuke, clinging to his right arm, unknowing what the action was causing the boy; damnit, why'd she have to cling to him like that? He shifted somewhat uncomfortably before relaxing, realizing that the reason she was being so clingy was because Sakura felt safe around him.

"Alright, lets go."

* * *

"Sasuke-kun! Come look at this!" the pink haired girl exclaimed, running forward to take the Uchiha by the arm and drag him into a nearby shop. Onyx black eyes displayed faint annoyance, at least until she looked at him, at being dragged around like he was. It was embarassing.

Sakura lifted a glass figurine of a rose into her hand, showing it to the slightly irritated Sasuke. "Isn't it beautiful?" she breathed, staring mesmorized at the beautiful artwork. Sasuke blinked; it was indeed a beautiful piece of work. "Mm," the boy replied, glancing out into the market once more.

A good amount of star-struck girls had gathered outside the shop, but none dared approach for fear of the Haruno nearby, even though she was fairly harmless at the moment.

However, the Uchiha was still deathly dangerous, and he cast a glare at the girls outside that threatened death if they came too close. Many swooned and fainted simply because they'd received one of Sasuke's famous deathglares, while a few weren't affected by it and simply backed away slowly.

Sakura was still absorbed in watching the rose, her finger gently tracing the petals before she glanced at the dark haired boy near her with a pleading look in her eyes. "Sasuke-kun? Can I get it? Please?" she inquired, as if Sasuke were her father and she was a child begging for a new toy. He stared at her for a moment before nodding, and Sakura giggled and hugged the boy quickly before running toward the counter to pay for the rose figurine.

A few minutes later the pink haired kunoichi returned holding a plastic bag with the rose figurine wrapped carefully inside, her emerald green eyes gleaming as she smiled at Sasuke.

"Lets go!"

The girl took hold of Sasuke's wrist once and half dragged him out of the shop, though she stopped at the sight of the fainted fangirls and glanced at the Uchiha questioningly. He wave it away and it was his turn to take the other's wrist and gently drag her off.

Onyx black eyes suddenly caught sight of a pair nearby - Hinata and Naruto, it seemed - and before the Uchiha could turn and walk away with Sakura in tow the little blonde called out: "Sasuke! Sakura-chan! Hey!"

Sasuke cringed at the voice and turned back, watching as an excited Naruto and a blushing Hinata came up to them. "Hey Naruto!" Sakura greeted with a smile, waving slightly at the boy before nodding toward Hinata. "Hey Hinata!" The Hyuuga girl smiled and waved back, folding her hands infront of her body once more and peering up at Naruto. The little blonde blinked at Sakura and Sasuke for a moment before grinning, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"Hey, uh, Hinata and I were just heading to go get some ramen. Wanna come?"

The Uchiha was about to decline - they had better things to do, after all - when the pink haired kunoichi suddenly nodded enthusiastically. "Sure Naruto! I'm getting hungry anyways."

Sasuke grunted but nodded; he was, after all, in charge of taking care of the girl.

The little blonde grinned up at Sasuke before sprinting toward Ichiraku, followed by an admiring Hinata, a smiling Sakura, and a less-than-happy Sasuke.

* * *

"N-Naruto-kun?"

The Uzumaki looked up at the Hyuuga heirs face and blinked, noodles hanging from his mouth in a kawaii way. Hinata blushed and smiled at the adorable look on Naruto's face before continuing - shyly, of course. "Sakura-chan has gotten better, hasn't she?"

Naruto glanced at the pink haired kunoichi nearby, who had finished her ramen and was admiring the glass figurine she'd bought only a few minutes before and nodded. "Yeah, Sakura-chan's going to be fine. Why?" Cerulean blue eyes met the white eyes of the Hyuuga girl, who blushed and looked downward, pressing the tips of her index fingers together before shaking her head.

"I was just wondering. I-I'm glad she's better."

He nodded in turn before scooting closer to where Sakura and Sasuke sat, peering at the figurine before pointing at it and inquiring: "What's that?"

"Idiot, it's a glass rose. What the hell does it look like?"

"I wasn't talking to you, Sasuke-teme!"

Sakura looked up at the familar words and blinked, emerald green eyes staring at Naruto for a moment before she smiled and giggled. "Sasuke-kun let me get it. It's pretty, isn't it, Naruto?"

The blonde dobe nodded, grinning before he looked passed Sakura at the Uchiha; his onyx black eyes had drifted away from Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata. He was staring off into space, it seemed, which was odd for Sasuke. "Oi! Sasuke!" he called as he jumped down from the stool and waved his hand infront of the dark haired boy's face, blinking at him before calling again: "Sasuke!"

The Uchiha snapped out of his trance and glared at Naruto.

"Hai?"

"Shouldn't you be getting Sakura-chan back to the hospital soon?"

Sasuke glanced at the pink haired girl before nodding, standing and glancing at Sakura. She stood and began to follow after him, and the two left Naruto and Hinata at Ichiraku.

* * *

-gulps-

I know it's awful. Gomenasai! o.o' Sorry my chapters are so short. I have an idea where this is going!

Sasuke: Surprising.

Sakura: -fuming- Why am I the one you made act wierd?!

Author: -sweatdrops- Eh, yeah.

So I hope you all review and send in ideas for the next chapters! I'll love you if you do.


	6. Why Kami sama?

**Disclaimer:** I dun own Naruto, but god I wish I did.

**Author Notes:** 63 reviews already? Wow! You guys really keep me writing, so I want to thank every single one of you for that! Also, I'd like to thank all my friends who told me how wonderful they think this story is as well, especially Kyle-kun. I recently found out he likes my story so much, he uses it for his SasuSaku roleplay plots, giving credit to me of course. Thank you!

Now, lookit that! This chapter's long! And hopefully interesting for all of your loyal fans out there! - Lova you all, and enjoy! Oh, and sorry for the long time to update, but I hope this makes up for it.

_

* * *

_

_You're such a foolish little child. You think you can get better? Ha!_

_Greedy, arrogant, optimistic little child; you can't get better, not now, not ever. Because it's impossible._

_He'll leave you, you know._

_Again._

_He'll leave you when you need him the most. They all will. And you'll be forced to return to me, won't you?_

_Foolish little girl!_

_Keep on thinking you can return to normal; it's futile!_

* * *

Sakura woke screaming, sweat dribbling down from her temples as she sat up in her bed, panting; as emerald green eyes opened, they caught sight of the pure white hospital walls, which told her she was still safe.

Still safe...

At leats for now.

Blinking away the tears that had gathered, Sakura sat in her bed for several minutes before her gaze turned outside; the wind shifted the trees and grass, and she could swear she heard voices speaking. But it was just the wind. At last, the pink haired girl stood and went to the window, placing one hand against it and running her fingers down the smooth glass. Smudges appeared where her fingers had trailed, and the Haruno sighed.

Turning away from the window, emerald green eyes focused on the door; maybe she should go for a walk? Sure, why not?

Just as she started toward the door, the girl stopped and stared at the glass rose figurine she'd bought earlier that day; might as well take it along with her, hadn't she? It might get broken otherwise.

Sakura approached the door, forgetting that she was still in her pajamas - a light blue tank top with a pair of black pajama pants - as she turned the doorknob and crept down the corridor. Most of the nurses were at the receptions desk, so they didn't try to stop her; of course, getting passed them would be the hard part.

But she had been a kunoichi, and still was considered one.

As the desk came closer, the nurses speaking in soft voices to one another and occasionally laughing, she crouched down and began to sneak forward, her left hand touching the wall as Sakura made her way, keeping to the shadows. She kept her breathing calm and steady, as soft as she could keep it, as she pressed her body against the receptions desk, sneaking right underneath the noses of the nurses; once she had cleared that much and was half-way in shadows again, the girl quickly stood and sprinted for all she was worth toward the door, clutching the rose to her chest.

The cool air felt wonderful against her hot flesh, the grass tickling her feet - which she had forgotten to put shoes on, in her haste to leave her room.

Slowly the pink haired girl walked away from the hospital, emerald green eyes staring up at the night sky as she gently stroked the petals of the glass rose almost lovingly. But, even as she stared up at the sky - with it's beautiful colors and the stars shining brightly - Sakura knew. She knew that something was wrong.

She knew that Sasuke had left to go find the Akatsuki.

----

Onyx black eyes took in every detail of the terrain around him, and the Uchiha noted every sound with growing anxiety. He barely made a sound as he leapt from branch to branch, not even half a mile from the Konoha gates yet; but, even then, Sasuke knew that he was being followed. Or at least, someone was planning on following him.

Call it a premonition, but he simply _knew_.

Halting long enough to catch his breath and glance behind him, Sasuke froze; was that just his imagination, or had he really seen red eyes staring at him from behind? They had disappeared so quickly it was hard to tell. His heart thumped in his chest as Sasuke turned back around.

_Calm down, Sasuke. It was probably just your imagination or a bug or something._

He willed himself to calm down, and finally the dark haired boy launched himself from the branch, centering his chakra to his feet to give him a speed boost. Even if he was followed, he couldn't risk being found. Not with so much at stake. Especially since he had a good feeling that Sakura was following him right this very moment.

* * *

Tsunade's heels clicked against the floor of the hospital as she walked silently toward Sakura's room; it was time to check to make sure she was still recovering at the same rate as before. Only two people besides herself knew that Sakura's condition was worse than just emotional and some mental trauma; Shizune and Uchiha Sasuke. The blonde haired woman sighed as she clutched her paperwork to her chest, blinking as she stopped outside the door.

Beginning to flip through the files, Tsunade stopped on the record that diagnosed the girl. Sakura was not only emotionally and mentally abused, but she had also been physically abused. So much so that some of her internal organs only worked with half the functioning they should. This made her weaker than normal, and her body had to exert extra force to keep itself going. Because of this exertion, her body was wearing itself down quickly; surgery was the only possible solution.

But how do you explained that to an already traumatized girl?

The blonde woman sighed as she placed her hand on the doorknob, the cold metal cooling her skin as she thought about what she was about to tell Sakura. How would she take being told that in a few days she would need surgery? Well, now was the time to find out. Taking a breath to keep herself calm, the woman pushed the door open.

"Hello Sakura-chan, how are y-"

Her clipboard clattered on the floor, papers flying in every direction, as Tsunade stared at the ruffled blankets with an open mouth. How? "Nurses! Shizune! Sakura's gone!" the blonde woman's voice rang out as she ran to the door, calling down the corridor. How could the pink haired girl had escaped the hospital? Her window had always been jammed, and with one glance Tsunade could tell that it had not been disturbed; had she snuck passed?

Whatever had happened, Tsunade knew they needed to find the pink haired kunoichi soon, before she worked herself so much that her body stopped itself all together.

* * *

How could she had been so naive? How could she have believed him when he said he wouldn't go after the Akatsuki by himself? Sakura sprinted through the forest, the branches tearing at her flesh and her bare feet as she moved. Emerald green eyes stared ahead, and the girl focused all her concentration on catching up to Sasuke and stopping him; she couldn't let him leave again. As if the pain was nonexistant to her, the pink haired girl continued to sprint at an almost inhumane speed.

Suddenly the girl tripped and landed on the ground; there she remained, panting into the dirt, completely exhausted after her long run. "Sasuke..." Sakura whispered, clutching the loose soil in her hands as she attempted to push herself up.

In her left hand the glass rose figurine was held tightly - almost protectively - against her side.

"Please... Please... Don't leave me, Sasuke... Please..."

Closing her eyes, Sakura allowed herself to sob, the tears trailing down her cheeks and dropping onto the dirt; only after several minutes did she start to force herself into a sitting position. The strength in her arms seemed to fade as she attempted, but at last the pink haired girl was on her hands and knees, panting; slowly but surely she crawled toward the nearest tree - only a foot or so away but seeming as if it were a mile to the exhausted kunoichi - and leaned her forehead against it.

A sudden snarl left her lips as she drew back and hit her head as hard as she could against the bark, the feeling of warm blood beginning to trickle down her skin and mingle with the tears.

Again her fingers clutched at the loose dirt as more sobs left her throat; why was she so useless?

Why couldn't she do something as simple as stop the dark haired boy from leaving her for the second time?

Her brain was working overtime as it thought about these questions before Sakura pulled away from the tree, staring dully at the black-red splotch that had been left. The blood continued to trickle as she - with newfound determination - stood and began to follow the trail she knew Sasuke had taken. She _would_ catch up to him. No matter what, she would catch up to him.

_Even if it killed her._

* * *

"You all understand why I've called you here, correct?"

The ninja all nodded solemnly; Tsunade sighed in relief, glad she wouldn't have to explain every last detail. "Good. So I don't need to tell you that Sakura's condition can only be removed through surgery - if at all. And that she's left her hospital bed when not fully healed. This could be fatal to her at her stage right now, so it's important that you find her and bring her back. We've also noticed the Uchiha Sasuke is missing from the village as well, and we assume he went to go find the Akatsuki by himself. That's where Sakura's going."

Here, Tsunade paused to peer around at the faces; Shino, Ino, Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto, Hinata, and Chouji.

"So we're going to split each of you six up into teams of two to search for them. Ino with go with Shikamaru, Hinata with Naruto, and Chouji with Kiba. Understood?"

All six nodded.

Tsunade sighed in relief, at least until a certain blonde dobe raised his hand. "Yes, Naruto?"

"What if ... What if we don't find them?"

How had she known that the boy would ask that? They were, after all, his former teammates. The blonde woman sighed again: "We will." She didn't go any farther than that as she gestured for the teenagers to leave with her hand, sinking into her chair with Shizune offering her sake.

* * *

The raven glanced over his shoulder; he'd thought he'd heard something and strained his ears to listen, but whatever sound Sasuke had heard before was gone. Quirking an eyebrow lightly, the Uchiha leapt from the ground into the treetops once more, sprinting from branch to branch at a rapid pace. Again he halted as the sound returned once more, and a low growl emitted from his throat.

"Whoever you are, come on out. I know your there," he called, one hand ready to take hold of a kunai just in case. A flash of pink hair passed through the green leaves and suddenly emerald green eyes were staring into onyx black, blood dripping down Sakura's face.

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat.

Sakura?

She'd actually followed him?

And that was...

Blood.

"Sakura, you're bleeding! What happened to you?" He reached forward and touched her cheek, not surprised as she flinched away slightly before shaking her head. "Sasuke, you can't go." The Uchiha eyed her warily, opening his mouth to speak before he was abruptly cut off by the pink haired kunoichi.

"Sasuke! Listen to me! I won't let you go after them! Don't you understand? If you go, you'll only get yourself hurt, and I can't bear the thought of that Sasuke! I won't let you go! I'll stop you myself if I have to!" she cried, lifting her hands as if about to strike. Sasuke stared at her, surprised, before he stepped closer and gently placed a hand on her cheek; this time Sakura didn't flinch away, instead peering up at the Uchiha with teary emerald eyes. "Sasuke..." she breathed before burying her face against his chest, sobbing loudly. The dried blood on her face crumbled as her features contorted in pain, falling away as she suddenly pulled back and peered up at Sasuke.

"I'm begging you, please don't go."

He stared at her, surprised, for a moment before shaking his head lightly. "Sakura... You should go back to the hospital. I'm sure they're worried about you." Emerald green eyes widened in shock; had he just refused to go back with her? It was just like last time; Sakura begging Sasuke not to go to train under Orochimaru, Sakura telling Sasuke how much she loved him, Sasuke basically telling Sakura to go back home and then knocking her unconscious.

At first, she just stared. Then, suddenly, Sakura launched herself forward; she'd warned him that she would stop him herself if she had to.

The Uchiha cried out in surprise, tipping backwards...

And falling from the high branch with Sakura in his arms.

* * *

"Hinata! Use your Byakugan to see through all these trees, will you?"

"H-Hai, Naruto-kun!"

Pressing her hands together in a seal, the Hyuuga heiress muttered a quick "Byakugan!" before looking up, the veins near her temples bulging out as she peered about the forest. Naruto waited somewhat impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest as she searched. "See anything yet?" he suddenly inquired, fidgetting slightly. He wanted to find Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan soon, damnit!

Hinata glanced at Naruto, a blush spreading over her cheeks as she shook her head and deactivated her Byakugan. "No, I don't see them, N-Naruto-kun."

He growled in annoyance before looking to the Hyuuga girl once more and nodding.

"Lets go!" Both shot from the branch they'd been standing on, speeding through the forest in search of the pair once more.

* * *

The white dog sniffed gingerly at the ground, lifting his head at last and barking at his master, who sighed and turned to the chubby boy beside him. "Nothing. Akamaru can't pick up either's scent. It's like they just poofed into thin air!" Chouji nodded; for once, he wasn't munching on some kind of snack, instead focusing all his attention on finding the two missing Nin.

Akamaru woofed suddenly, sprinting ahead.

"Hey! Wait up! C'mon Chouji! I think Akamaru found something!" Kiba called as he followed his dog, the chubby boy following behind him. The dog moved easily through the forest until suddenly he halted and scratched at the bark of a tree; Kiba knelt and touched the blood that lingered there, pulling away when it felt it was still somewhat moist. Suddenly he sniffed it and winced slighty.

"It's Sakura's."

Chouji's eyes widened, watching Kiba as he stood. "Then we'd better get going," the chubby boy replied, and the Inuzuka nodded.

* * *

"Where the hell could Forehead have gone?! Doesn't she know she's hurt, damnit!" a certain angry Yamanaka ranted to a bored and annoyed Nara, who wasn't even listening to her. As she continued to rant Shikamaru sighed, glancing toward his blonde friend and speaking in a bored tone.

"Calm down Ino. If we don't find them, I'm sure Naruto and Hinata or Kiba and Chouji will. Don't worry so much. It's troublsome."

This whole thing was troublesome; why couldn't Uchiha keep to his promise and just stay in Konoha instead of being a stubborn ass and running off like that? Gah. Leave it to Sasuke to make his life hell. "But what if they don't Shikamaru? What if Sasuke and Sakura are long gone?" Ino questioned, watching as Shikamaru rubbed his temples.

"Gah. Just c'mon."

* * *

The feeling of the wind coursing through her hair made her stop her attempts to keep Sasuke from leaving as Sakura realized that feeling of plummeting toward the ground and clutched at the Uchiha. "Sasuke!" she screamed, burying her face against him. He growled low in his throat; what the hell could he do now? With Sakura clinging to him like that he wouldn't be able to catch hold of any branches - if any were strong enough to hold both of their weight.

And landing on his feet might end up with Sakura being smashed into the ground, which would probably kill her on impact.

Hissing curses to himself, Sasuke did the other thing he could; he twisted his body around so that, instead of Sakura being the one who'd hit the ground first, he would be. The Haruno didn't seem to notice, too busy clinging and screaming incoherent sentences.

However, she did notice when suddenly they both hit the ground, pain shooting through every part of her body as she lost her hold on Sasuke and was thrown several feet away. There she laid for the longest time, panting against the dirt, before she lifted her head off the ground and stood at last, glancing around dazedily.

"S-Sasuke..."

Her breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of the Uchiha laying nearby, unmoving. "Sasuke!" Sakura screamed, sprinting toward him and sliding beside the dark haired boy, lifting his face to hers. "Wake up Sasuke! Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up, damnit!"

Tears fell from her eyes as he didn't reply; her eyes watched as, suddenly, a thin trail of blood crept from under his hairline and trailed down his temple, his cheek, and gathering in the small notch of his collar bone.

"Sasuke!"

He couldn't die on her! He couldn't!

_Please, kami-sama, don't let him die. Don't let my precious person die..._

Choking back her tears, suddenly, she looked up and strained her ears; someone was coming. Fear rippled through her very being as Sakura leapt to her feet, preparing to sprint away. But what about Sasuke? She halted and glanced down at him; if she left him, whoever was out there might find him and do Kami-knows-what to the unconscious Uchiha, and there was the possibility he'd die if she ran away and no one found him. But, if she stayed or tried to carry him away, then there was a more likely chance of herself being caught, which wouldn't help either of them if whoever was out there was an enemy.

Sobbing silently to herself, Sakura began to tear at her hair.

Why?

Why was she being given this choice?

It was so hard for her right now. So very hard.

_Oh kami-sama, why are you doing this to me?! Why?!_

So her choice was this: save herself but lose Sasuke, or try to save Sasuke and possibly get them both killed?

* * *

I really hope all of you enjoyed that alot. Review and wait for the next chapter, which I have no clue what's going to happen.

Ideas? I'll love you forever.


	7. Discontinuation

**IMPORTANT ANNOUCEMENT: **

I've lost interest in ths story.

I'm sorry for those who have been waiting for a reply for - what? Six months?

I don't have any inspiration for this.

Please don't hate me. Dx

I'll probably continue it at a later date, when I finally get some inspiration to write chapter seven.

**I want all of you who have alerted, favourited, and reviewed this story to know that I love you all, and I'll _try_ to find inspiration for this story as soon as I can. Until then, bye!**


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